TOMORROW presents another ‘juggling act’ for Bradford City Women – with no first team game but a reserve fixture against Guiseley that could offer players a chance to gain match fitness.

With the Bantams’ reserves performing well – losing just one of their last seven games – and the team there to develop younger players, first team coach Lee Harrison admits team selection is tough on weekends like this.

“The reserve team is there as a filter up to the first team,” he said. “If a player is coming back from injury or hasn’t been getting 90 minutes with the firsts, then there is an opportunity to get that with the reserves.

“But it can be very difficult to get the balance right.”

“It’s a juggling act trying to give promising young players game time, along with the occasional player dropping down.

“I don’t like to label players as firsts or reserves, as everyone is a club player and many jump from team to team.

“Plenty have started with the reserves and then established themselves in the firsts, and that will hopefully continue moving forward.”

City’s first team will return to action in two weeks’ time at Nottingham Forest – exactly a month since their last outing.

The Bantams’ fixtures have been inconsistent this season, but a reshuffle means they end the campaign with weekly games and Harrison believes they can end it strongly.

“I know what this group of players are capable of,” he said. “We are not far off the top teams in this league.

“If we do drop points in these final games it will be well deserved from the opposition because no one gets an easy game against us.

“Sometimes games don’t go to plan and things don’t go your way. But work rate, energy and effort go a long way in football and as long as we keep putting a shift in every game, then we will reap the rewards."